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Minutes for the Public Services Committee meeting on January 9, 2006.
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Public Services Committee Minutes
Monday, January 9, 2006
4:30 p.m.
Members present were: Ann Williams, Cecil Province, Jimmy Ashley, and Tim McCall. Councilman Johnson and Councilwoman Furr were unable to attend.
MINUTES
Councilman McCall motioned, seconded by Councilman Ashley for the approval of the regular meeting on December 16, 2005. All voted aye. Copies were provided to all in attendance.
PARKS
Request by Mr. Mike Flowers Free Tutoring at Community Centers as part of the “No Child Left Behind” program: Mr. Mike Flowers from Scholars Learning out of Little Rock discussed the free tutoring program he would like to start for the Jonesboro High, McArthur and Annie Camp schools students at the City’s community centers. It was questioned whether students from other schools would be able to participate. Mr. Flowers explained that he will serve other students if the funding is available for him to do so, but the program is designed for schools in the second year of the No Child Left Behind program and right now only JHS, McArthur and Annie Camp schools are in the second year. Mr. Flowers further discussed how he puts together an education plan for each child and the kids are tutored in a small group fashion or one-to-one. The tutoring will consist of local instructors who are certified teachers that have been through a background check. If they’re not certified, Mr. Flowers noted they still do a background check through ChoicePoint. He added he does have liability insurance, if needed. He further explained he’d like to start the program right away since the students will be tested again in March at the local schools. Typically, the tutoring programs are in 3-month time spans. Mr. Jason Wilkie explained that the typical fee for what Mr. Flowers wants to do is $125 a day, but Mr. Flowers informed him that fee would not be affordable for him to pay. Mr. Wilkie suggested allowing Mr. Flowers to use the centers for free or negotiate a lower price. Councilman McCall motioned, seconded by Councilman Ashley, to allow Mr. Wilkie and Mayor Formon to negotiate a fee for Mr. Flowers to use the community centers for his tutoring program. All voted aye.
Jonesboro Baseball Boosters presentation: Mr. Bryan Watts, president of JBB, and Mr. Fred Hargett, vice president of JBB, made a presentation before the committee covering what JBB has accomplished since their contract started with the City in 2002 to use Joe Mack Campbell Park. It was explained JBB’s new contract would be brought before the committee at the February meeting. Mr. Watts informed the committee that JBB held 1,800 games at Joe Mack Campbell in 2005. Their registration fees are on average $65 per child, but they do not turn away children who want to play just because they are unable to pay the fee. They have a minimum requirement that ensures each child will bat in each game and will play at least two innings on defense. They also have code of conduct for the coaches and the parents to follow. Last year, 950 local kids participated in JBB and they have started a fall baseball program for older kids. Mr. Hargett discussed the $116,500 JBB has invested in Joe Mack Campbell for batting cages, pitching machines, concession stand equipment and other equipment. They have sold $175,000 in field sponsorships prior to 2002 and gave the money to the City for Joe Mack Campbell. Mayor Formon asked the committee what would be preferred with regards to a time length for the next JBB contract. It was explained that the JBB sells sponsorships in 5-year increments, so it would be easier for them to sell sponsorships if they could tell the sponsors they have a 5-year commitment with the City. Councilman McCall motioned, seconded by Councilman Ashley, to allow Mayor Formon and Mr. Wilkie to negotiate a contract with JBB and to decide what the time length will be. All voted aye. Mr. Wilkie noted he will bring the contract to the February meeting for committee approval.
Naming of dog dock: Barton’s and VetCare have agreed to be the sponsors of the dog dock that will be built on Craighead Forest Lake. Barton’s agreed to provide the materials, while VetCare is going to hire the contractor. Mr. Wilkie presented a resolution naming the dog dock the “Barton’s-VetCare Dog Dock.” He added City Attorney Phillip Crego has approved the resolution and agreed the dock naming would fall under the naming resolution guidelines that were passed by the City Council last year. Councilman McCall motioned, seconded by Councilman Ashley, to put the resolution on the agenda for the City Council’s meeting on January 16th.
Park security plan: Mr. Wilkie presented a list of other cities in Arkansas that he contacted concerning their security plan for city parks. It was questioned when the City would need security for the parks. Mr. Wilkie explained security would most be needed at the parks during special events and from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mayor Formon suggested taking the issue to the Police Department since it’s not necessarily a Parks Department issue. It was then questioned whether on-duty police officers in the area could be used to drive through the parks. It was explained that officers would be needed to provide security on a more consistent basis than on-duty police officers since the officers will have other duties to attend to. It was also questioned whether the parks, like Craighead Forest, have call boxes for people to use like those seen on the ASU campus. Mr. Wilkie stated the parks do not have the call boxes. It was suggested for Mr. Wilkie to look into placing call boxes in the parks and also to meet with Police Chief Michael Yates regarding park security so he could present more information to the committee at the February meeting.
Woodrow Park: Mr. Wilkie explained to the committee that he had met with Mr. Crego regarding the church interested in having Woodrow Park donated to them. Mr. Crego advised Mr. Wilkie that the City cannot donate the park to the church. It was stated the typical way to get rid of land is to appraise it and sell it to the highest bidder or to lease the land. It was questioned how safe the equipment is that is currently located at the park. Mr. Wilkie explained they have tried to keep the equipment as safe as possible for kids to play on. Discussion was then held regarding whether the church would still be interested in the land if the equipment was taken off and how the church could get the land. Councilman McCall motioned, seconded by Councilman Ashley, for the equipment to be taken off the land and for Mr. Wilkie and Mayor Formon to get Mr. Crego’s opinion on selling the land. All voted aye. It was suggested that preference should be shown to the church. It was also stated that Mayor Formon and Mr. Wilkie should go ahead and follow through with whatever recommendation Mr. Crego has.
Downtown skate park: Mr. Wilkie explained with the restitution money received from Mr. Baugh, he would like to rebuild the downtown skate park. He presented the committee with a proposal of what items to buy, totaling $22,056, which would be covered by the restitution money. Mayor Formon explained that even though there is no park down there now, kids still go to the downtown area to skate. But, he also voice concern over how the skateboarding would affect the businesses in the downtown area. Discussion was held as to other locations to have the skate park. Mr. Wilkie explained they have looked into other areas for the park, but so far they don’t have another place to put it. He further explained the equipment he is hoping to buy is movable, in case the skate park is changed to a different location. It was suggested for an ordinance to be made to ban skateboarding on the sidewalks. It was also suggested to make and post rules for using the skate park. Councilman Ashley motioned, seconded by Councilman McCall, to allow Mr. Wilkie to bid out for new equipment at the skate park. All voted aye. It was also asked for Mr. Wilkie to put together an ordinance to ban skateboarding on the sidewalks downtown.
Amendment of contract with Associated Engineering: Mr. Wilkie presented a resolution to amend the contract with Associated Engineering for the survey of Oaklawn and Nettleton Cemeteries. Mr. Wilkie stated additional surveying work needed to be done, but the City Council had to approve any changes to the contract with Associated Engineering. He added Mr. Crego has approved the contract changes. Councilman Ashley motioned, seconded by Councilman McCall, to place the resolution on the agenda for the January 16th City Council meeting. All voted aye.
Participation report: Mr. Wilkie handed out participation counts for the community centers for 2005. He reported that Earl Bell participation has decreased and they’re hoping to do some research to figure out why. He also noted that Parker Community Center participation decreased, but most likely due to the volleyball program being moved to Allen Park. Allen Community Center participation increased in 2005. Camping income increased in 2005.
Construction report: Mr. Wilkie reported to the committee that Craighead Forest Lake is currently filling up.
OTHER
Mayor Formon questioned the swimming facilities in the City. It was explained that money was the main issue to building new swimming facilities. Discussion was held regarding the swimming pool at Earl Bell. Mayor Formon added they are hoping to re-model the front area of Earl Bell. He also stated they would put together some numbers for the remodeling and bring them back to the committee. It was also suggested that because there are no construction projects scheduled for the Parks Department in 2006 that more time could be spent on cleaning up the centers.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, Councilman McCall moved, seconded by Councilman Ashley to adjourn. All voted aye.